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Lindsay Artkop: Switch Kick by Ahead Demo

Hi everyone! I'm excited to share with you my new demo and review of the Ahead Switch Kick Quick Release Bass Drum Beater System! I break down what the Switch Kick is, how it works, and demonstrate each of the beaters in a musical context.

Switch Kick by Ahead! If you’re not hip to it yet, this innovation is a quick release bass drum beater system that allows drummers to flip, adjust and switch out their beaters, all without a drum key. The acronym “FAST” describes these main features:

Flip the beater 180 degrees
Adjust the height to over 9 different levels
Switch to a variety of different beaters
Tool-less design

So let’s set it up. The shaft is installed as any regular beater would be into the kick pedal, so insert it and tighten it up. Then, the Switch Kick beaters themselves are simply inserted into the shaft. Once they’re in, they can lock into place, or easily be flipped, adjusted or switched out. Currently, there are over 10 different beater options to choose from and more in the making. Each Switch Kick beater provides a different sonic quality. There are wire brushes, plastic brushes, hard beaters, soft beaters, plastic and more. So having these options allows us to spice up textures, lower or heighten dynamics and bring out different responses from our drums.

What’s especially powerful about the Switch Kick are the height options. This emulates a stick shift, and can be thought of as switching gears. Setting your SK beater at different heights allow you to achieve different speeds and levels of power. The lower the height, the lighter and faster it feels, and the higher the height, the heavier and louder it is. Low = light & fast, Middle = Balance of Speed & Power, Up = Lot’s of Power and volume.

Now let’s check out each of the different Switch Kick beaters in action.

So there you go guys! I hope you enjoyed this demo and go check out the SK for yourself. I want to thank my friends from Ahead, the Kashas, and the inventor of the Switch Kick, Kevin Smith. So, which SK beater was your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below. Peace.

A Different Kind of Beater.
We take for granted how many options there are for hitting implements we use with our hands. Sticks, rods, brushes, mallets, and everything in between are available from a variety of different companies. Changing them is as easy as putting down one pair, and pulling out the next from our stick bag. Drummers use all different types of tools made out of a variety of woods and plastics. We use them to spice up textures, lower or heighten dynamics and bring out different responses from our drums.

Now, for the first time, a new innovation allows us to have the same freedom, only with our kick pedals! Kevin Smith, inventor and percussionist, has teamed up with Ahead to create a tool called the “Switch-Kick”. It’s a quick release bass drum beater system that allows drummers to flip, adjust and switch out their beaters, all without a drum key. The shaft is installed as any regular beater would be, and the Switch Kick beaters themselves are inserted to the shaft. Currently, there are over 10 different beater options to choose from and more in the making. Each Switch Kick beater provides a different sonic quality. There are wire brushes, plastic brushes, hard beaters, soft beaters, plastic and more.